Maintaining peace and tranquillity on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China can set the stage for an eventual solution to the border issue, Army chief Gen. M.M. Naravane said on Wednesday.
“We have the Line of Actual Control with China, the border question is yet to be settled. However, we have made a little progress in maintaining peace and tranquillity along the borders and I am sure that situation will prevail,” he said adding that by maintaining peace on the borders “we can set the stage for an eventual solution”. Gen. Naravane was talking to the media after a ceremonial guard of honour outside South Block a day after he took over as the 28th Chief of Army Staff.
Stating that both the western and northern borders were equally important, he said that while we had been giving attention in the past to the western front, “the northern front also now requires equal attention.” “We are now going in for capability enhancement on our northern borders which includes the north-east parts.”
India and China have different perceptions on the over 3,400-km-long border and have held several rounds of Special Representative talks in an attempt to resolve it.
Talking of his top priority as Army chief, Gen. Naravane said it “will always remain to be ever ready for any challenge and to be operationally prepared at all times” which would happen through modernisation.
“We will continue to build up our capabilities, especially in the north and north-eastern regions of country,” he stressed, adding, “there will also be emphasis on improving the security awareness among the rank and file with special attention to the issue of human rights.”
Over the last few months as Vice-Chief of the Army, Gen Naravane made a strong pitch for indigenisation of defence equipment and not waiting to build the best equipment. At an industry interaction a couple of months back, he called on the Indian industry to build products which would be inducted and subsequently improved based on their performance in the field.
“I would like to give this commitment and assurance on my part that whatever you produce, we will take. Let it be Mk1 [initial version], the improvements will continue and there will be a MkI and a MkII,” he had said which was welcomed by the industry.
